Of Demons and Dementors
by Ms. Zeal
Summary: One shot. Set during book three. Sometimes, one is just in the wrong place at the wrong time...


Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

**Of Demons and Dementors**

The light of the full moon spilled out from behind the clouds, bathing the dark landscape with its silvery luminescence. However, its pale beams could not penetrate the thick, leafy canopy of the forest, leaving the inhabitants therein to wander in the darkness. Three beings picked their way through the undergrowth, two seeming to move with ease between the shadowy trunks while the third rode sidesaddle on an oar, flying silently behind them.

"Remind me why we're here again," the shortest member of the group groused, irritation coloring his words.

"We were offered probation over prison," his taller companion answered. "And we accepted."

"But, why are we _here?_"

"I told you, Hiei. We got a report of demon activity in the area," came the chipper reply from behind. "And, since Yuusuke is busy with another case, Koenma-sama thought it would be better to send you two to take care of it instead of waiting for him to complete his training!"

"We've been walking around this forest for hours, baka onna. And, the only demonic thing I've sensed is Kurama."

"It does seem a fruitless endeavor," Kurama agreed, absently pushing a low hanging branch out of his way. "Are you sure the report didn't detail where the demonic activity was taking place, Akane? Even a general area would help us narrow down the search."

"Hm." Akane pulled the papers out of the sleeve of her kimono, creating a small ball of soft blue light and holding it close to the page. "It just says that there has been sporadic demon activity around here for the last nine months," she said, squinting at the page. "Oh? That's odd... They spelled 'demon' wrong." She shrugged, replacing the papers in her sleeve. "It's probably just a clerical error."

A distant howl pierced the night, prompting Akane to move closer to the demons.

"Great. Wolves. More animals that I _don't _want to deal with tonight."

"Really? The animals seem to be the only highlight of this little field trip," Kurama said lightly.

"Hn."

Kurama grinned, not needing words to understand exactly what the fire demon meant. "Come now, Hiei. Surely it hasn't been all _that _bad?"

Hiei gave him a look. "First there were those giant spiders-" he began.

"-that you seemed to enjoy teaching a lesson in humility to by cutting off their legs," Kurama pointed out.

"-then, there were those stupid horses-"

"-who you insulted quite thoroughly- did all that talk of planets and stars really irritate you so much? I'm still a bit surprised they didn't try to attack you..."

"-followed by that bird-horse hybrid-"

"-which did attack when you called it an over-grown canary. Incredibly fast for a creature its size, I must say..."

"-then there were those dead flying horses-"

"-I still say they just liked the smell of the blood on your clothing."

"-that three-headed dog-"

"-you do seem to attract the odd creatures, don't you?" Kurama remarked, smiling

"-and that car- what's a ningen car doing in the middle of a forest, anyway?" Hiei asked, pausing in his rant as he turned to his companion. "We've yet to come across a single road."

"To that, I have no answer- especially not for a vehicle that seems to move on its own. At least, it didn't try to run us over," Kurama stated.

Hiei shook his head. "And now, wolves. How much longer are we going to waste our time out here?" he demanded.

"If the demon is acting only sporadically, we likely will not be able to pinpoint its location until it moves again," Kurama stated. "What is the average time between its periods activity?" he asked, directing his question to their chauffeur.

"Well, according to the local reports, there have been several incidents over the last nine months," the ferry girl replied.

Kurama stopped walking, turning towards her. "Local reports?" he questioned. "I thought Reikai did its own surveillance?"

"Normally, yes, but if the situation is serious enough, a report from Ningenkai it will find its way through certain channels and end up in Reikai," she explained. "Then, Koenma-sama will look over it and decide if the matter needs to be looked into or not."

"I still say we're wasting our time," Hiei griped.

"Perhaps," Kurama agreed, turning and starting to walk again. "But, I still prefer this to the alternative."

"That's the spirit, Kurama!" Akane agreed enthusiastically, pumping a fist in the air. "Come on, Hiei! We've looked everywhere else, so the demon is bound to pop up soon! We'll be done before you know it!"

"Hn."

Kurama shuddered, as if a sudden chill had come over him. "By the way, Akane," he began, wrapping his arms around himself, "you said earlier that you don't know what type of demon we may be dealing with or what powers it may have, but do you have a description of it, at least? Anything at all to help verify what we're dealing with?"

"Let me see," she said, pulling out the papers and looking over the report again. "Ah, here it is! According to this, it kind of looks like a skeleton wearing a tattered black cloak. It doesn't seem to have legs and instead glides across the ground."

Kurama stopped walking once more, this time with a sharp intake of breath. Hiei paused as well, watching as his companion shivered again, despite the fact that it was not cold. The fire demon's brow furrowed slightly at the odd behavior, although he noticed Kurama had tilted his head slightly, as if he were listening for something. "What is it?" the shorter demon asked quietly.

"You said that the word 'demon' was spelled wrong," the redhead said, ignoring Hiei as his eyes darted around furtively. "Is it, perhaps, spelled 'd-e-m-e-n' instead? With a period at the end?"

Akane looked a bit startled. "Yes, it is. But, why would it have a period at the end? Unless it was-" She gasped as understand dawned on her.

"Would some care to explain what you to are talking about! ?" Hiei growled, rapidly losing what little patience he had left. He too paused as a faint noise caught his attention. He listened closely, identifying the sound as a long, rattling breath. A glance at Kurama confirmed that this was the sound that had put the redhead on edge. Hiei almost snorted in disgust. _This is what he's all worked up about? How pathetic! Clearly, whatever creature is making this pitiful sound is about to draw its last breath! Ningenkai has truly made him weak! _He opened his mouth, scathing remark already on his tongue, when a yelp from behind cut him off.

Akane had heard the death rattle and was slowly gliding backwards on her oar. Her retreat was cut off as a decaying hand, the grayish skin glistening and covered in scabs, grabbed the oar and yanked it out from underneath her. She yelped as she tumbled gracelessly to the ground, hurriedly climbing back to her feet and scrambling towards the demons. Her oar disappeared as soon as she was no longer touching it, but the cloaked creature that grabbed it didn't seem to notice, focusing instead on its prey.

Kurama leaned heavily against a tree, gripping the rough bark to remain upright while his eyes locked on the creatures that had finally come into view. His heart seemed to drop down into his stomach as the cloaked beings kept coming, too many for him to count in the darkness as they creatures completely surrounded their group. It was rapidly becoming more and more difficult to concentrate, as he had to continually force back the bad memories evoked by the dark creatures' presence.

Hiei had drawn his sword, warily appraising the enemies before him. "What are these things?" he asked, not daring to take his eyes off them.

"Dementors," Akane whispered, cowering between the two demons. "They didn't misspell demon, they abbreviated dementor! That report wasn't supposed to come to us! And now, we're all going to die!"

** . . . **

Colin Creevey shift nervously on the rock he was perched on, his eyes darting all around the dark forest. "How much longer are we gonna stay out here, Luna?" he asked, clutching his camera tightly.

Luna Lovegood was sitting in the grass, reclined against a thick tree trunk. She slowly turned her heard away from the darkness, staring at her companion with large eyes that seemed to look through him rather than at him. "Until the leshy appears," she said simply, her voice soft. She sounded distracted, as though her thoughts were miles away.

A distant howl broke the silence making Colin tense. "Come on, Luna, we've out here for _hours_. Let's go back inside, _please_..." he pleaded.

Luna sat up straight at the howl, staring off into the direction it came from as a smile formed on her lips. "Leshy are good friends with gray wolves in particular. That means one must be close." She paused, seeming to register Colin's words and turned to look at him once more. "You don't have to stay here with me if it bothers you. I only asked to borrow your camera initially, anyway."

"No, I gave you my word that I would come with you," Colin said, trying to sound a lot braver than he felt as his hand tightened reflexively around his camera. "And a Gryffindor always keeps his word!"

Luna shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself' before turning her gaze back to the forest around them.

Not liking the silence, Colin strove to fill it by drawing Luna into conversation. "So, what are we looking for again?" he asked.

"It's called a leshy."

"What's it look like?"

"They are tall with pale blue skin and a long beard made out of living grass or vines. They may have horns, tails or hooves, depending on the species. They also have large, dark green eyes that seem to be popping out of their sockets," she explained, not taking her eyes from the forest. "They come out most frequently during the first full moon after the last frost of winter, but before the flowers start to bloom."

"And, your robes are on backwards because...?"

"Not just my robes. All my clothes. And my shoes are on the wrong feet. They like to confuse travelers, you know, switching around the trees and whatnot to lead people deeper into the forest. By doing this, I confuse them. They don't know which way I'm trying to go." She turned her head, blinking at him owlishly in the dim light. "You should turn your clothes around, too."

"No thanks. I don't think I'll get lost. After all, the castle is right there," he said, pointing at the stone wall visible through the trees about twenty yards away.

An agonized shriek spilt the air, making the hair on the backs of their necks stand up. Colin bolted upright, his eyes drawn towards its origin in the dark. "W-what was th-that?" he whispered, his entire body shaking like a leaf.

Luna had also stood, peering intently into the dark forest. "I don't know," she answered faintly.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the edge of the trees. "Come on!" he repeated urgently when she resisted.

"Wait! What is that?" she asked, pointing.

Colin followed her finger, blinking at the sight before him. "I don't know," he said, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Luna turned, pulling at his camera. "Quick, get a picture!"

** . . . **

Hiei scoffed at the ferry girl's panicked declaration of death. "You think these weak things can kill me?" he asked, his tone clearly indicating the absurdity of such a notion.

"They're soul-eaters, Hiei," Kurama explained, a bit breathless. "They don't completely exist on the physical plane. Your sword would avail you little and your fire techniques aren't powerful enough to destroy them."

Hiei scowled, although he didn't refute the redhead's claim. "What do you suggest, fox?" he asked, still holding his katana in front of him. "We're surrounded."

"I...have an idea that might work," Kurama said slowly. He pushed himself off the tree, swaying slightly before finding his balance.

"What's with you?" Hiei demanded, sparing the redhead a glance.

Kurama waved off his concern. "A dementor's presence has a much more debilitating affect on humans than it does demons," he explained. "Please don't interfere."

Hiei blinked at the odd request, his eyes now glued to his comrade as the redhead stepped forward with slow, halting steps. One of the dementors glided forward to meet him, towering over the slim demon. Two decaying hands appeared from within the folds of the cloak, rising up to remove the hood obscuring its face. Its head was covered with the same grayish, slimy skin as its hands and was vaguely shaped like a human's. It had no eyes, only scabbed skin stretched across the empty sockets and a shapeless, gaping hole passed for its mouth.

Kurama swayed where he stood, fighting to remain upright as the clammy hands grasped him, one steadying him while the other tilted his head back as far as it could go. He closed his eyes as the gaping maw descended towards his mouth, hearing the breath rattle in the dementor's throat even as he felt the putrid air brush against his cheek.

Hiei was frozen to the spot. He couldn't believe was he was seeing. _Is Kurama actually giving up? No, he said he had an idea- that means he has to have **some** sort of plan. But, what kind of stupid plan includes getting your soul sucked out! ? _he thought, irrationally. He watched as the dementor lowered its head, looking as though it were going to give Kurama some sick parody of a kiss. Hiei waited with baited breath for Kurama to do something, _anything_, but the redhead merely stood there, docile, as his doom drew nearer. Kurama's entire body went rigid as the dementor clamped its jaw around his mouth and Hiei decided he could wait no longer. He leapt forward with all the speed he could muster, planning on ripping the dementor from his friend with his bare hands, if need be, when an inhuman shriek rent the air.

The dementor jerked back, an unholy wail issuing from its mouth as it clawed desperately at its chest. Kurama screamed in agony as the dementor released him, falling limply to the forest floor.

Already in motion, Hiei caught his friend before he hit the ground, his confused gaze darting back and forth between the semi-conscious redhead and the thrashing dementor as he tried to figure out what was going on.

The dementor writhed as it glided backwards, giving one last piteous howl before it was ripped open from the inside. It fell to the ground, still spasming in the death throes while a glowing silver fox with a single tail stood over its dying body.

The fox took in the situation with a glance, wasting no time before launching itself at the closest dementor. The creature futilely raised its hands to ward off the attack, but the fox went straight for the throat and ripped it out. The body hadn't even hit the ground before the fox was attacking the next cloaked being.

Hiei watched the scene, a bit dumbfounded by Kurama's plan. He had heard of the King of Thieves being referred to as a _spirit _fox, but had no idea what that meant until now. Souls were weak, fragile things, hidden deep within the body for protection- even the most powerful demons couldn't fight against the ferry girls of Reikai once they're demonic souls had left their dead remains. Seeing exactly how dangerous Kurama was, even as nothing more than a spirit, was a bit unsettling. His eyes were drawn from the fight as someone knelt next to him. He turned, watching as Akane placed her hand over Kurama's face, mumbling a long string of words under her breath.

Akane gasped, quickly drawing her hand away as if it had been burned. Kurama flinched, his eyelids flickering as he weakly turned his head away from her. At the same time, the spirit fox snarled, suddenly right next to them as he paused in his fight. His bright yellow eyes met the ferry girl's, his lip curling up over sharp canines, as he growled a warning before jumping past her and killing a dementor that had been sneaking up on them from behind.

"What are you trying to do, woman! ?" Hiei demanded, unconsciously tightening his grip on the redhead as he glared at Akane.

The ferry girl visibly shrank from his gaze. "N-nothing!" she stammered, backing away from him. "I-I was just trying to-to see what was wrong with him!" she said quickly.

"Hn." His eyes showed that he clearly didn't believe her.

The spirit fox calmly trotted over the them, interrupting further conversation. It lowered its head near Kurama's face, turning into a silvery sort of mist that entered the open mouth. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the redhead gasped like a drowning man finally breaking the surface and his eyes flew open completely. He took several more gasping breaths before he seemed to calm. "Remind me...never...to do that...again," he said, breathlessly.

"Hn."

Kurama smiled at the fire demon. "Sorry...I worried you."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "As if I care."

Kurama chuckled softly before turning his attention to their chauffeur. "We might want to leave sooner rather than later. Not all of the dementors were killed and there are two human children some distance away that saw me. They might be coming here," he said, his polite tone reflecting none of the coldness in his eyes.

Hiei raised his head, his crimson orbs growing distant as the Jagan eye on his forehead glowed. "The ningen brats aren't coming here yet," he reported.

Kurama nodded, pushing himself to a sitting position with Hiei's help. Akane wrung her hands nervously, looking desperately like she wanted to say something, but not daring to open her mouth.

Hiei's eye twitched. "That means, hurry and open the portal, woman!" he hissed.

Akane jumped. "Oh! Uh, right!" She quickly stood and moved a little ways away, going through the complicated process of setting up a portal that would take them back to Japan.

Hiei turned his attention back to Kurama, who seemed to be having trouble sitting up by himself. "What is wrong with you?" the fire demon asked "None of the ningen whose souls were stolen by Gouki had such a difficult time recuperating after the Detective freed them from the orb."

"They also didn't have their souls ripped in two," Kurama replied conversationally.

"What! ?"

"A miscalculation on my part," the fox explained, although his eyes slid to the ferry girl. "A soul is a very fragile thing. Mine wasn't separated for long, but I imagine it will be a week or so until I'm feeling back up to 100 percent."

Hiei shook his head. "That was a reckless thing to do, Kurama."

"Yes, there were quite a few risks involved. But, we did not have any other choice at the time, did we?"

Hiei didn't reply.

"Alright, it's all set and ready to go!" Akane announced.

Without a word, Hiei helped Kurama to his feet and supported him as they entered the portal.

** . . . **

Akane walked down a long hallway, coming to a stop in front of two elaborate doors. She raised her hand and knocked timidly on the polished wooden surface. A voice bid her to enter and she did so, softly pulling the door shut behind her before turning and bowing. "You wished to see me, Koenma-sama?"

The young ruler looked up from his paperwork, studying the ferry girl before him. "You were the one who supervised Kurama and Hiei's first mission several weeks ago, correct?" he asked, rummaging through one of the many piles on his desk.

"Yes, sir, that was me."

"You said in your report that the mission went as well as could be expected, given the circumstances," he said, pulling out a folder and flipping through the first few pages.

"Yes, sir."

"Would you mind explaining this, then?" He pulled a magazine out of the folder, tossing it on a clear spot on the front of the desk so she could see it. On the front cover was a glowing silver fox, a dementor's arm clutched in his teeth while the creature writhed at the canine's feet. The fox then spit the arm out and launched itself at another dementor caught on the page and proceeded to rip it apart, as well. Words written in an eerie, white script appeared across the top of the page while the fox ravaged the cloaked creatures. "Deadly Patronus Protects Hogwarts from Dementors- Full Story Inside!"

Akane opened and closed her mouth a few times, not quite sure what to say.

"I'm not worried about the exposure- the _Quibbler _isn't exactly what you'd call a reliable source of information," he continued when she remained silent. "What I _am _curious about, is why you felt it necessary to go against my orders?"

"I-I didn't..." Akane stuttered, taking a half-step back.

Koenma leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk as he regarded her over his interlocking fingers. "Kurama is a very difficult person to capture. He got away from us almost ridiculously easily sixteen years ago, and I don't intend on letting that happen again! If Kurama dies while on a mission, the ferry girl accompanying him will immediately take charge of his soul. I put an entire clause just about that in his contract!" He gestured to the magazine and the fox on it who had stopped tormenting the dementors and seemed to be watching the proceedings with interest. "In his current state, Kurama doesn't have enough power to assume that form on his own- he would have needed the dementor to remove his soul first. Receiving the dementor's kiss is the same thing as dying, yet he somehow ended up back in his body instead of here!"

"Koenma-sama..." Akane hesitated, before pushing on. "Are you saying that you intentionally sent Kurama on that mission, knowing he would die?" she asked, incredulous.

"Of course not!" Koenma snapped. "Yuusuke is probably going to need all the help he can get, which is why I agreed to put Hiei and Kurama on probation in the first place!" He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Despite that, I still don't know how much I can trust either of them. If a situation arises where one or both of them fall under our jurisdiction- meaning, their souls leave their bodies, for whatever reason -then I expect the ferry girl accompanying them to do her job!" He gazed at her for a long moment before sighing. "I would have sent Botan, but she's busy helping Yuusuke on the Rando case," he continued, massaging his temples. "So, why didn't you bring Kurama's soul back to be judged?"

"I couldn't."

"What do you mean by that? You had the spells and wards necessary to contain both his and Hiei's souls if it came to that."

Akane shook her head. "He killed the dementor before it could remove his soul completely," she explained, spreading her hands wide in a helpless gesture. "He tore his soul in two, leaving part in the body while the other part attacked the dementors. There was nothing I could do."

Koenma jerk upright in his chair, the pacifier almost dropping out of his mouth. "He ripped his _soul_! ?" he exclaimed, shocked.

Akane nodded. "I tried to put a seal on the body, but the soul fragment left in it resisted. And look!" She stepped forward, pointing at the prancing fox on the magazine's cover. "He only has one tail here! According to our reports, he should have four, at least!"

Koenma leaned forward, picking up the _Quibbler _again. The fox had turned and was proudly waving his single tail at the demi-god victoriously. "I don't believe it," he muttered, staring at the page in awe. "Incredibly risky move, but..." He shook his head, dropping the magazine back on his desk. "It seems Kurama is too clever for his own good sometimes."

"I'm sorry, sir. I really did try-" Akane began.

Koenma held up a hand, forestalling her apology. "No, there was nothing you could do. Looks like Kurama out-smarted death...again." He sat back in his chair, still marveling at the sheer audacity of his newest employee. "Well, I guess he's not ready to retire from the Reikai Tantei just yet, although whether that is a good thing or not remains to be seen. You're dismissed."

Akane bowed, quietly retreating from the room.

Koenma shook his head again, wondering if making that deal with Kurama might prove to be more trouble than it was worth. His gaze slid to the moving picture and he scowled, grabbing his stamp as he set to work on the nearest pile of paperwork. "Oh, don't look so smug!" he grumbled, glaring down at the magazine.

The fox just sat back on his haunches, the black substance that passed for dementor's blood dripping sluggishly from his jaws as he grinned. Koenma could almost hear his mocking voice say, _Better luck next time._

** . . .**

**The End**

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